Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the 13 September edition of the news include: China Emerges As Leader In Cyberwarfare | The Politics of DNSSEC: The Light Begins to Dawn at IETF by Milton Mueller | Schedule Posted for ICANN?s 30th International Public Meeting | What do you want to know about ICANN? Online survey | tk: Net gains for tiny Pacific nation | Is the IP address still a personal data in France? | 10 Great SEO Tips, Part 1 & 2 | Radio Interview with Eric Goldman Discusses Domainers and Domaining And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA. *************************************************** Mediating Distance: Online Tools for Reconciliation? by Ian Macduff [Director, NZ Centre for Conflict Resolution, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington] http://ombuds.org/center/adr2002-7-Macduff.html Internet Governance Forum to meet in Brazil, 12-15 November [news release] http://egovmonitor.com/node/14230 AFNIC steps up for a transparent Internet http://domainesinfo.fr/english/098/afnic-steps-up-for-a-transparent-internet.php PM says foreign spies hacked into New Zealand government computers; no key data lost http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276677390.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4197227a28.html China denies role in NZ cyber attack http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4198376a28.html Blog: Is Beijing hacking into NZ's computers? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10462932 ICANN Posts Issues Paper for the July 2008 - June 2011 Strategic Plan http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-11sep07.htm ICANN September magazine is out http://icann.org/magazine/ Paul Twomey on IPv6 and possible cyberattacks down under http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2635 10,000 .eu names suspended amid cybersquatter allegation http://out-law.com/page-8457 Chinese woman faces legal action from .eu authorities [AFP] http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276651151.html IEDR to relax domain registrations http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0912/domains.html tk: Pacific island cashes in on website domain http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/12/ntokelau112.xml NZ Disputes Resolution Conference 19-21 Sept [news release] http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0709/S00186.htm http://www.leadr.co.nz/db/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=81 You Say Hulu. I Say Lulu. Let?s Take the Thing to Court. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/10/business/media/10hulu.html Bin Ladin domain up for grabs http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2644 ********************** RESEARCH PAPER ********************** Mediating Distance: Online Tools for Reconciliation? by Ian Macduff [Director, NZ Centre for Conflict Resolution, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington] Conclusion: The aim of this note has been to consider the potential for developing the resources and insights of online dispute resolution into the typically more fraught domain of intra-state and violent conflicts. To the extent that we gather experience in ?mediating distance? in specifically online settings, and to the extent that there is a willingness and need to explore new resources in the management and transformation of intense conflict, it seems realistic to anticipate the adoption of online strategies in such conflicts. Unlike the currently familiar online settings of the virtual community and e-commerce, however, the use of online resources is likely to be only a part ? perhaps only a small part ? of the tool kit of third parties in intense conflicts. ... http://ombuds.org/center/adr2002-7-Macduff.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Internet Governance Forum to meet in Brazil, 12-15 November [news release] Representatives of government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, the Internet community and the media will converge in Rio de Janeiro for the second meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, to be held from 12 to 15 November. The conference will focus on the overall issue of ?Internet Governance for Development?. Five main themes will be addressed ? access, diversity, openness, security and critical Internet resources. http://egovmonitor.com/node/14230 African Voices to Be Heard Loud And Clear at IGF meeting in Brazil Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the continent have advanced plans to send a 20-member delegation to the Internet Governance Forum to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November to ensure that African voices are heard. At a roundtable session on internet governance organised by the Open Society Institute for Southern Africa (OSISA), at the ongoing 11th annual Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown this week, CSOs resolved to ensure that Africa is not relegated at the global meeting. http://allafrica.com/stories/200709120242.html http://bizcommunity.com/Article/196/16/17979.html http://allafrica.com/stories/200709130084.html Brazil hosts governance forum Representatives of government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, the Internet community and the media will converge in Rio de Janeiro for the second meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, to be held from 12 to 15 November, reports eGovmonitor. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2007/0709111332.asp?S=IT%20Governance&A=GOV&O=FPWW Guardian Leader: In praise of... a freely available internet Anything that unites the Gun Owners of America, the inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and corporate arch-enemies Google and Microsoft must be worth a second look. At stake is a vital principle: whether the web should continue as Sir Tim always envisaged it - owned by no one and open to all comers on equal terms - or whether it should become a two-tier system with extensive users (such as YouTube or even Wikipedia) paying more for privileged access and heavy data use.There ought to be no argument about this. http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,2166474,00.html APC launches new book on WSIS, developing countries and civil society: Time for lessons learned WSIS has been roundly criticised in the past and this new study from APC concludes that the summit ?is not the best starting point for new action.? So, what is the point of looking at how developing country delegations and civil society fared at the summit? Because, says the author ?it is always important to learn from experience ? particularly where it did not deliver up to expectations.? The book ?Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Developing countries and civil society at the World Summit on the Information Society?, commissioned by APC and written by David Souter draws on participants? observations, detailed interviews with forty key actors and case studies of experiences rooted in five developing countries. WSIS holds many lessons for developing countries and civil society organisations aiming to exert greater influence in international ICT decision-making fora. Some lessons demonstrate what worked well ? such as the highly successful, multi-stakeholder IGF. The majority illustrate what did not work so well ? not least, holding a four-year long meeting on such a fast-changing topic. Read a one-page introduction: http://apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5202193 Download the full book here [in English; pdf format]: http://rights.apc.org/documents/whose_summit_EN.pdf Interview with David Souter: Learning from the WSIS Experience APCNews interview with David Souter, author of ?Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Developing countries and civil society at the World Summit on the Information Society? http://apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5202194 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** AFNIC steps up for a transparent Internet Seeing national registries speak up for the good of the whole Internet is actually quite rare. Although behind the scenes, most of the major ccTLD registries do involve themselves in a lot of technical issues that can impact our daily use of the Net, they rarely come out with public warnings. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/098/afnic-steps-up-for-a-transparent-internet.php WIPO?s Gurry Details Efforts On International Patent Needs ... WIPO to Address Internal Problems ?Soon?: Gurry also addressed several organisational challenges WIPO is facing. Saying he hopes many ?transient? problems will be fixed ?soon,? there are other institutional challenges that are more long-term in nature. ?WIPO, I think, is a unique organisation in that it has two very distinct and different roles,? he said. Those roles are: as a service provider to an international economy, given that 92 percent of its revenue is generated from fees and services rendered, including its arbitration centre, which has handled over 11,000 domain name disputes; and as a classical intergovernmental organisation involved in treaty-making and with development assistance. http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=736&res=&res=1920_ff&print=0 ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** DNS issues could leave users in a BIND Migrating from the long-outdated Berkeley Internet Name Daemon (BIND) 8 to the improved BIND 9 might be easier with the availability of an upgrade guide designed to educate remaining BIND 8 users of the inherent security risks of using the old version. BIND is the open source reference implementation of the DNS, much like a network phone book that translates computer hostnames into IP addresses. http://itworldcanada.com/a/Daily-News/29f1f70c-5265-42e5-8f51-6a7d5aa8ca8b.html PM says foreign spies hacked into New Zealand government computers; no key data lost Foreign spies have hacked into New Zealand government computers in recent months but no classified information was stolen, Prime Minister Helen Clark said Tuesday. Clark's attempt to reassure followed revelations by the country's top spy, Security Intelligence Service head Warren Tucker, that foreign sources had hacked into government computer systems and stolen information. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276677390.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4197227a28.html China denies role in NZ cyber attack The Chinese Government denies it is involved in attempts to hack into New Zealand Government computer systems - despite strong hints that its spies' activities had been detected. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4198376a28.html China's cyber raid on NZ/Aust agencies China has allegedly tried to hack into highly classified government computer networks in Australia and New Zealand as part of a broader international operation to glean military and commercial secrets from Western nations. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22404605-15306,00.html Chinese Official Accuses Nations of Hacking A senior Chinese official has accused foreign intelligence agencies of causing "massive and shocking" damage to China by hacking into computers to ferret out political, military and scientific secrets. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091200791.html China: Net spy damage has been 'massive' [Reuters] A senior Chinese official says his country has suffered "massive" losses of state secrets through the Internet. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6207467.html France blames China for hack attacks Three more western nations have blamed China for an upsurge in hacking attacks against government computers. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/12/french_cyberattacks/ Blog: Is Beijing hacking into NZ's computers? The Security Intelligence Service's claims that foreign governments are hacking its network aren't surprising given the stir created in the last couple of weeks at news that the Chinese People's Liberation Army allegedly hacked the Pentagon's network. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10462932 ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN Posts Issues Paper for the July 2008 - June 2011 Strategic Plan ICANN posted the Issues Paper summarizing comments received during the initial phase of consultation on the July 2008-June 2011 Strategic Plan. Members of the community are invited to review the issues and comment on ICANN's priorities for the Strategic Plan. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-11sep07.htm ICANN September magazine is out Kieren McCarthy writes the September issue of the ICANN magazine is out. This month it includes interviews with ALAC chair Jacqueline Morris, as well as CEO Paul Twomey. Recent Board meeting are covered, and the policy issues reviewed are: IDNs, Registry and Registrar contracts, and IPv6. Also, covered - has been happening in the past month on the blog and the public participation site, give a rundown of recent public comment periods, and upcoming outreach programmes. And a small piece on the freeing up of the 14.0.0.0/8 IP address block bring a bit of Net history to life. Plus plenty more. http://blog.icann.org/?p=188 http://icann.org/magazine/ Paul Twomey on IPv6 and possible cyberattacks down under Paul Twomey addressing the Influence Forum 2007 in Australia?s Hunter Valley, says Australian government and CIO?s must do more in moving to IPv6 and Australia must do more to prepare itself for possible cyberattacks such as those experienced recently by Estonia, and which Australia might struggle to survive according to recent articles in TechTarget. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2635 ICANN Boss; Australia must improve cyber-terror readiness Australia might struggle to survive a cyber-attack of the type recently experienced by Estonia and must increase preparations to deal with online threats, according to Dr. Paul Twomey, CEO and president of ICANN. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com.au/topics/article.asp?DocID=6100810 ICANN Boss: CIOs must plan IPv6 move now CIOs must pay more attention to IPv6 migration, as the work required to make the move is more complex than is apparent and will required input from across a business and its stakeholders, Dr. Paul Twomey, CEO and president of ICANN. Citing an example of a business where migration to IPv6 saw cusotmers, applications and even desktop browsers disconnected from networks due to unforseen consequences of the move, Twomey urged CIOs to make IPv6 a priority and to start planning so such disruption can be avoided. http://www.searchcio.com.au/topics/article.asp?DocID=6100812 ICANN Boss: Government should lead IPv6 push Government agencies should make migration to IPv6 a priority, according to Dr. Paul Twomey, CEO and president of ICANN. "Many departments and agencies I have spoken to suggest that migration is something they will consider in their next three-year planning cycle," he said, before urging them to instead make the move a more immediate priority to lead the IT community into the new standard. http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com.au/topics/article.asp?DocID=6100811 ICANN Begins To Add Yet Another Layer of Complexity by Karl Auerbach ICANN put out a request for a contractor to add yet another layer of complexity, expense, delay, and unnecessary bureaucracy to the ICANN's "new Top Level Domain" process. One can only wonder how the statement of work for this contactor was generated in advance of ICANN completing its new TLD criteria project. Is this yet another instance of ICANN's "staff" simply doing what it wants to do and ignoring ICANN's board and the community of internet users? There is definitely more than a hint of that smell. http://cavebear.com/cbblog-archives/000324.html More New TLDs That You Don't Need The .post proposal is up... http://frankschilling.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/more-new-tlds-t.html ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** China's Keyword Dispute Resolution Centre Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre's (HKIAC) established the Internet Keyword Dispute resolution Centre. As its name infers, this arbitration centre solves Internet keyword disputes in China. Disputes are governed by China Internet Network Information Center- CNNIC- Internet Keyword Disputes Resolution Policy which sets the legal framework for these disputes. China's Internet keyword dispute process is totally written; parties must submit written arguments and documents to HKIAC via fax, e-mail, or post; in exceptional cases, hearings may be conducted. Following, you may find the legal text of the CNNIC Internet Keyword Dispute Resolution Policy. http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1853 de: More than eleven million domains moving [news release] More than 11 million .de domains are getting a new home. On 11 September 2007, DENIC officially puts into operation the first of two new computer centres, from where .de domains will be administered in the future. The change-over to the new computer centre is the first essential step within the scope of a comprehensive infrastructure project, which is designed to adapt the complete network and computer centre structure of the German domain registry to the growing demands of the coming years. The domain holder will not notice anything of the change-over. All .de domains can be fully used throughout the whole procedure. http://www.denic.de/en/denic/presse/press_84.html Domain name registrar DENIC opens new data centre [sub req'd] http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=183500 10,000 .eu names suspended amid cybersquatter allegation EURid, the Belgium-based registry for .eu domain names, has blocked the names and has the right to strip the woman, Zheng Qingyin, of the names. EURid legal manager Herman Sobrie told OUT-LAW, though, that the organisation wanted to have a court strip Qingyin of the addresses. He said that case would take around a year. Qingyin has filed a separate suit objecting to the blocking of the domains in the Court of First Instance in Brussels. This is a fast-track case whose result should be known in a month, Sobrie said. http://out-law.com/page-8457 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/10/eu_domain_cybersquatting_allegation/ http://euobserver.com/9/24735 Chinese woman faces legal action from .eu authorities [AFP] Chinese woman who registered 10,000 .eu domain names faces a lawsuit from the domain organisers Eurid and has retaliated by bringing her own legal complaint, Eurid's legal adviser said Monday. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276651151.html http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=070910172210.tftuazd9 http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iZC3m0gc6ebm6zBgUFr6iWVrUOrQ http://www.todayonline.com/articles/210382.asp IEDR to relax domain registrations The IE Domain Registry has announced the relaxation of registering personal '.ie' domain names for individuals. Therefore, from Wednesday, October 31, individuals will be able register their personal domains, as long at they can prove a claim to the domain name and have a 'substantive connection to the island of Ireland'. http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0912/domains.html http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0913/MIBUSINESS.html http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=1834578 http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_1011132.shtml http://siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single9196 tk: Pacific island cashes in on website domain Tokelau ? comprised of three coral atolls that lie about 500 miles north of Western Samoa, halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii ? has licensed the website domain extension assigned to the island, and is using the money it earns from the project to pay for computers and internet access. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/12/ntokelau112.xml ZADNA Domain name board appointed Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has appointed new .za Domain Name Authority board members. The appointment went into effect at the beginning of September. The board is chaired by Dr Hasmukh Gajjar, deputy CEO of Faritec, and an executive of the J&J Group. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2007/0709111034.asp?S=Legal%20View&A=LEG&O=FRGN http://www.doc.gov.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=157&Itemid=434 dotMobi Strengthens Senior Management Team with Appointment of Two Senior Executives [news release] dotMobi has appointed Trey Harvin, longtime Internet and technology veteran, as CEO of dotMobi and David Ryder as VP of Marketing and Sales. In their respective roles, Harvin and Ryder will be charged with building on the success of dotMobi to date and taking the company forward with more innovative products for expanding the use of the mobile web. http://mtld.mobi/node/805 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** NZ Disputes Resolution Conference 19-21 Sept [news release] ... Dispute resolution in .com industries is just one of many topics to be debated at Te Papa next week during the 9th International Dispute Resolution Conference. Domain Names Commissioner Debbie Monaghan will join key speakers from the UK and US to discuss mediation in cyberspace with an audience from around the Asia Pacific. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0709/S00186.htm http://www.leadr.co.nz/db/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=81 Chinese cybersquatter ordered to relinquish domains A Chinese cybersquatter who preemptively registered trademarked domains in the hope of selling them to the trademark's owner was recently ordered to give up her claim, a state newspaper reported yesterday. According to Legal Daily, The Intermediate People's Court of Changsha, Hunan Province, ordered the cybersquatter, surnamed Yao, to return two domains to the trademark holder, Guizhou Tongjitang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a privately owned enterprise that has used the Tongjitang trademark since 1888. http://www.interfax.com/4/312192/news.aspx You Say Hulu. I Say Lulu. Let?s Take the Thing to Court. NBC Universal and the News Corporation can?t seem to catch a break when it comes to a name for their new video-sharing service. At first, a name was not a priority. The companies, saying they were fed up with piracy of their movies and television programs on YouTube, unveiled plans for the Web site in March and simply called the venture ?New Site.? A formal name would come later. That antiseptic moniker bored reporters and bloggers, who make up their own name: ?YouTube Killer.? Catchy, but much too aggressive, the two companies warned. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/10/business/media/10hulu.html ph: NBI studying case vs forum owner allegedly peddling porn The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is now studying the evidence it confiscated from a raid of the house of a Filipino allegedly behind an online forum that was singled out by a Senator as peddling pornographic materials on the Internet. http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=190&a=22858 http://catanduanestribune.com/Sep-12-2007/TopStory/Detail.aspx?newsID=3152 us: Internet domain name outlaw faces 20 years in federal prison A Las Vegas man faces about 20 years in prison today after he agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud for impersonating an intellectual property lawyer and threatening lawsuits against the owners of Internet domain names. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/19284 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/11/typo-squatting_grifter/ http://lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2007/sep/11/566627228.html http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9035678 us: Medical group fights it out in court ... The motion also argues that Daryll Prescott registered the domain names of riverfrontmedicalgroup.org and riverfrontmedicalgroup.net knowing the name Riverfront Medical Group is the corporate name of Hare's practice and that he no longer had the legal authority to use the name without her consent. On Aug. 24, the court ordered "all parties are restrained from interfering with other parties' websites." http://citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/CITIZEN_01/709110037/-1/CITIZEN us: Candidates locked in name game over Web domains The wife of a candidate for city councilor owns the Web site names of four of her husband's competitors in the race. Debra Trahan, member of the city's Zoning Board of Appeals and wife of City Council candidate Barry Trahan, has a business that purchases Web site names and sells them back to people interested in creating a site in that name. Her Web site is called YourNameProtected.com, and she also has an agreement with GoDaddy.com to sell Web site names. http://southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070912/NEWS/709120369 us: MainStrasse group sues over Web site The MainStrasse Village Association has sued the former operator of its Web site - who also was once a member of the organization - claiming he used the MainStrasse name for his own benefit. Among other things, Shawn Masters and his Merlot Group are accused of "cybersquatting", trademark infringement, engaging in unfair competition and creating confusion among people who are trying to gather online information about Covington's entertainment district. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070912/NEWS02/709120348 http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070912/NEWS02/709120348/1014 National Arbitration Forum Resolves Univision, Webkinz and Hershey's Kisses Domain Name Disputes The National Arbitration Forum recently issued decisions on the rights to Univision.tv, Webkinzz.com, Webkniz.com, Weblinz.com and ChocolateKiss.com. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/9/prweb553421.htm ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Go Daddy Go! ... Now Expanding Into Denver Area [news release] GoDaddy.com is opening a new facility in Denver. The move means immediate employment opportunities for software developers and gives Go Daddy the benefit of tapping the Denver community?s renowned talent pool. https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/news/release_view.asp?news%5Fitem%5Fid=112&app%5Fhdr= ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Auto-Generated Web Sites: The Future of Domain Parking? Domain name parking companies continue to innovate with the goal of creating parked web sites that look more like real web sites. DomainEmbarking.com, one such service, is now in Beta 2.0 and appears to be on the right track. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/09/11/auto-generated-web-sites-the-future-of-domain-parking/ ********************** - DOMAIN SALES ********************** Bin Ladin domain up for grabs If you have ever wanted to own your very own piece of US history now is your chance. A website once owned by the bin Laden family that expired on September 11, 2001, has been listed for auction on eBay. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/12/1189276767333.html http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2644 http://cgi.ebay.com/Binladin-historical-domain-name-expires-on-9-11-01_W0QQitemZ330164895202QQihZ014QQcategoryZ11153QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem Over 160 One-of-a-Kind Commercial Real Estate Domain Names for Sale [news release] Some valuable commercial real estate has just come up for grabs. There is room for expansion; the new owners can build to suit. And it is entirely online. The high-end addresses becoming available today from SmallBizRealty, Inc. (see them all at http://www.OfficeSpace911.com) include Subleases.com, MedicalOfficeSpace.com, MedicalRealEstate.com, LosAngelesOfficeSpace.com, MiamiOfficeSpace.com, and about 160 other unique commercial real estate domain names. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070912/new010.html ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** OECD Reviews of Innovation Policy: New Zealand [244p] This comprehensive assessment of the innovation system of New Zealand examines how innovation has affected economic performance in New Zealand. It looks at who the actors are and how they are related to each other. And it examines in detail the role of the government and the effectiveness of the system. Finally, it makes a series of recommendations. http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?sf1=identifiers?=EN&st1=922007071p1 http://213.253.134.43/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9207071E.PDF [PDF download] OECD Innovation Policy and Performance: A Cross-Country Comparison This publication examines the relationship between innovation policy and economic performance in six OECD countries ? Austria, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In-depth analyses highlight countries? strengths and weaknesses in innovation, as well as the effectiveness of their innovation policies in driving economic performance. Taken together, the country studies constitute a rich evidence base which will be of considerable interest to innovation policy makers in all OECD countries. They indicate that countries share a need to adapt ? or even profoundly change ? their innovation policies in order to deal with opportunities and threats posed by new technological and economic developments. http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5LMM73JGNHKJ ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Call for bomb recipe search to be blocked in EU [Reuters] Internet searches for bomb-making instructions should be blocked across the European Union, the bloc's top security official said on Monday. ISPs should also prevent access to any site giving instructions on how to make a bomb, EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said in an interview. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276676964.html Free Speech Sometimes Trumps Copyright by Jennifer Granick On my first day of my new position as civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt my previous employer, the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, a fantastic victory. The court's ruling in Golan v. Gonzales is also a triumph for the First Amendment and for the overwhelming majority of creators. http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/commentary/circuitcourt/2007/09/circuitcourt_0911 China's Eye on the Internet [news release] The "Great Firewall of China," used by the government of the People's Republic of China to block users from reaching content it finds objectionable, is actually a "panopticon" that encourages self-censorship through the perception that users are being watched, rather than a true firewall, according to researchers at UC Davis and the University of New Mexico. http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8321 ACM's Computer and Communications Security Conference website http://sigsac.org/ccs/CCS2007/ Chinese web filtering 'erratic' China's firewall that tries to sanitise web browsing is much more porous than previously thought, says a study. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6990842.stm http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137143-c,internetnetworking/article.html http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9036118 For China's Censors, Electronic Offenders Are the New Frontier ... But party censors are now turning to China's booming Internet and cellphone networks with particular vigor. Given the easy access to technologies such as text messaging, censors have found it difficult to keep a grip on information. It hasn't been for lack of trying. The Public Security Ministry, which monitors the Internet under guidance from the Central Propaganda Department, has recruited an estimated 30,000 people to snoop on electronic communications. The ministry recently introduced two cartoon characters -- a male and female in police uniforms -- that it said would pop up on computer screens occasionally to remind people that their activity is being tracked. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/09/AR2007090901979.html An Opportunity for Wall St. in China?s Surveillance Boom The Chinese surveillance market is expected to grow to $43 billion by 2010. A camera watches over a Shenzhen street. ... Wall Street analysts now follow the growth of companies that install surveillance systems providing Chinese police stations with 24-hour video feeds from nearby Internet cafes. Hedge fund money from the United States has paid for the development of not just better video cameras, but face-recognition software and even newer behavior-recognition software designed to spot the beginnings of a street protest and notify police. Now, the ties between China?s surveillance sector and American capital markets are starting to draw Washington?s attention. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/11/business/worldbusiness/11security.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Saferinternet.at and eBay launch online safety quiz Safe online shopping requires basic knowledge on how to handle potential risks. This is especially true for the growing group of young consumers. Against this background the Austrian awareness node Saferinternet.at launched a safety quiz in conjunction with eBay.at. http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/articles/0707/at1.htm Phone filter keeps parents in the loop An Australian company is about to release what it says is a world-first software suite, enabling parents to completely control their children's mobile phone usage. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276690640.html au: A$189m to protect kids on the net A group of welfare and industry experts will examine ways to prevent stalkers preying on children through social networking sites like MySpace. Communications Minister Helen Coonan said the Consultative Working Group would be part of the government's $189 million NetAlert program. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22412177-5006301,00.html http://worldnewsaustralia.com.au/region.php?id=139884®ion=7 http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/13/2032022.htm au: Government bids to curb online abuse Social network users could have their details cross-matched against a list of sex offenders and be charged for misrepresenting their age. The terms of reference for a committee on cyber pedophilia have been worded to explore greater scope for prosecution over online offences. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/13/1189276873798.html http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/13/1189276873798.html The internet can't be censored and it's wrong for governments to try The Australian government's National Filter Scheme, an A$84.8m (?34.4m) initiative promoting the use of censorware in that country, recently suffered a collision with reality when a teenager reportedly immediately cracked some offered PC software. Although some media reports made it sound as if the government itself had developed the censorware, those millions simply represented roughly a country-wide site licence for several commercial censorware products. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/13/guardianweeklytechnologysection.comment ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Interpol proposes regional response centers to fight growing cybercrime Interpol proposed on Wednesday the creation of global and regional anti-crime centers to fight criminal activity online and respond quickly to emergency cybercrime alerts. The Internet should not be allowed to become a no man's land where criminals have the upper hand and can escape punishment, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble told an international cybercrimes conference in New Delhi. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/12/1189276803190.html http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22411618-16123,00.html Australian watchdog bitten in Google case The consumer watchdog suffered a blow in its mammoth court case against Google Inc, when a judge said yesterday its court documents were almost "incomprehensible", "opaque" and "somewhat repetitious". The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was ordered to write out summaries of its key allegations against various Google companies to clarify its case. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22397413-2702,00.html Google misleads on sponsored links, Australian court told Google was accused Monday of misleading web users and misidentifying sponsored links in a court case brought by Australia's consumer watchdog. In what it says is a world-first action, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges Google failed to distinguish between paid advertisements and "organic" results generated by the search engine. ACCC barrister Christine Adamson told the Federal Court that Google was misleading people who thought the ranking of its search results was not influenced by payments from advertisers. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/10/1189276634704.html http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6207024.html [Reuters] au: Google's 'top spot for sale' Google has been selling off the top rankings on its search engine results to commercial partners, rather than sorting them by relevance as it claims to, a Sydney court has heard. The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) is taking world-first legal action in the Federal Court against Google Inc over allegedly deceptive conduct related to sponsored links on its websites. The ACCC has brought a two-pronged case against Trading Post and Google - including subsidiaries Google Australia and Google Ireland - for potentially misleading consumers. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22393393-2,00.html Australian firm sues forum to silence critics In a move that could set a nasty precedent for Australian website operators and their users, a software firm is suing a community website over comments published on its message board. The firm, 2Clix, is suing the owner of the popular broadband community site Whirlpool, Simon Wright, for "injurious falsehood", asking for A$150,000 in damages and an injunction requiring Whirlpool to remove forum threads highly critical of 2Clix's accounting software. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/12/1189276778252.html http://www.itwire.com/content/view/14417/53/ A whole new ball game - media rights, Rugby World Cup & battles over online coverage of major sports The world of rugby is no stranger to bone-crunching showdowns but as the sixth World Cup kicked off in Paris on Friday night, the action for the media industry was located off the pitch. Instead of the William Webb Ellis Cup being at stake, this fight between newspapers and news-wires on one side and the event's organisers - the International Rugby Board - on the other, centred on the future of reporting as news goes digital. And while the winners of the tournament will hold the title for the next four years, the outcome of this battle could have repercussions for years to come as newspapers grapple with the 24-hour online news agenda. http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2165604,00.html Opinion: The IRB's stubborn stance did more harm than good ... What then, lay behind the International Rugby Board's (IRB) extraordinary dance with the international media ahead of the World Cup which England almost certainly won't retain, and none of the other home nations are likely to win? A heavy restriction on the number of images allowed to be filed per match or the time delay imposed on television footage from matches on non-match days seemed on the face of it absurd. The pressure point for the IRB seemed to be the fear that broadcasters who have paid for the rights, like ITV, are anxious that multimedia packages from other organisations could undermine their coverage of this event. http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2165614,00.html EC funds counter-terrorism tech research The European Commission is to plough ?156m (?107m) of funding into research on counter-terrorism technologies. The funding was granted in response to a call from the EU's Seventh Research Framework Programme, which seeks to develop technologies and knowledge to mitigate threats including terrorism, organised crime and natural disasters. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39289237,00.htm http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6207585.html Website terms incorporated by 'continue' button, rules US court A US Court of Appeal has said that a website can incorporate terms into a contract with a link above a 'continue' button that is part of a registration form. The approach is not recommended for sites in the UK, an e-commerce lawyer warned. http://out-law.com/page-8465 us: Annual CSI Study: Cost of Cybercrime Is Skyrocketing If your organization was hit hard in the wallet by cybercriminals in the past 12 months, you're not alone. According to the Computer Security Institute's annual Computer Crime and Security Survey, which is scheduled for release later this week, companies reported average annual losses of US$350,424 in the past year, up sharply from the $168,000 they reported the previous year. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=133658 Insider Threats Increase, But Damage Is Minimal ... The Computer Security Institute's annual Computer Crime and Security Survey, which is scheduled for release later this week, reports that insider attacks have now surpassed viruses as the most common cause of security incidents in the enterprise. Nearly 60 percent of respondents have experienced insider-related events in the past 12 months, while only 52 percent of companies reported a virus incident. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=133762 us: Feds: 'Iceman' Was Internet ID Thief A man who used the Internet alias "Iceman" stole credit card and identity information from tens of thousands of people by hacking into the computers of financial institutions and credit card processing centers, federal authorities said Tuesday. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1660948,00.html The Internet Firewall: R.I.P.? Is the Internet firewall headed for extinction? That was the intriguing subtext to a talk today by William Cheswick, a firewall pioneer. As a researcher at Bell Labs, he wrote an early technical paper on firewalls in 1990, ?The Design of a Secure Internet Gateway,? and 1994 (with a second edition in 2003), he cowrote a classic text on the subject, ?Firewalls and Internet Security.? http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/the-internet-firewall-rip/ uk: Men more likely to be cyber-stalking victims Around three per cent of UK men have been victims of online stalking compared to just one per cent of women, according to new research by online security company Garlik. The survey found that cyber-stalking victims suffer a barrage of abusive emails, character assassination on websites and message boards and, in extreme cases, online identity theft leading to harassment over the phone. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2198455/uk-men-likely-victims-cyber-stalking http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2198455/uk-men-likely-victims-cyber-stalking http://www.computeractive.co.uk/vnunet/news/2198455/uk-men-likely-victims-cyber-stalking L'Oreal challenges eBay over sale of fakes [Reuters] L'Oreal launched legal action against eBay, alleging the online auctioneer does not do enough to combat the sale of counterfeits, the company said on Monday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1035035420070910 http://news.com.com/2110-1030_3-6207091.html http://out-law.com/page-8463 [Out-Law] Intel charged in South Korea with violating antitrust laws [AP] Intel has been charged with violating South Korean antitrust laws, the company and regulators said. ... The Korean Fair Trade Commission said it has completed a two-year probe into Intel's activities in the country, but officials declined to elaborate on the findings. The regulators are now deliberating about possible penalties against Intel, which commands more than three-quarters of the worldwide market for microprocessors, the electronic brains of computers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/11/AR2007091101750.html http://iht.com/articles/2007/09/11/business/chip.php PM says foreign spies hacked into New Zealand government computers; no key data lost Foreign spies have hacked into New Zealand government computers in recent months but no classified information was stolen, Prime Minister Helen Clark said Tuesday. Clark's attempt to reassure followed revelations by the country's top spy, Security Intelligence Service head Warren Tucker, that foreign sources had hacked into government computer systems and stolen information. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/11/1189276677390.html http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4197227a28.html China denies role in NZ cyber attack The Chinese Government denies it is involved in attempts to hack into New Zealand Government computer systems - despite strong hints that its spies' activities had been detected. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4198376a28.html China's cyber raid on NZ/Aust agencies China has allegedly tried to hack into highly classified government computer networks in Australia and New Zealand as part of a broader international operation to glean military and commercial secrets from Western nations. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22404605-15306,00.html Chinese Official Accuses Nations of Hacking A senior Chinese official has accused foreign intelligence agencies of causing "massive and shocking" damage to China by hacking into computers to ferret out political, military and scientific secrets. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091200791.html China: Net spy damage has been 'massive' [Reuters] A senior Chinese official says his country has suffered "massive" losses of state secrets through the Internet. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6207467.html France blames China for hack attacks Three more western nations have blamed China for an upsurge in hacking attacks against government computers. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/12/french_cyberattacks/ Blog: Is Beijing hacking into NZ's computers? The Security Intelligence Service's claims that foreign governments are hacking its network aren't surprising given the stir created in the last couple of weeks at news that the Chinese People's Liberation Army allegedly hacked the Pentagon's network. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10462932 ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Australian privacy laws outdated in internet age: report The Australian Law Reform Commission has released a blueprint for a sweeping overhaul of Australia's privacy laws. The Commission has drafted 301 proposals after staging the largest public consultation process in its history. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/12/2030385.htm Privacy laws to be overhauled THE Australian Law Reform Commission plans to redraw the federal Privacy Act to bring small businesses into the regime, but will salve the pain of compliance by untangling the present jurisdictional mess. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22405257-5013044,00.html http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Australia-must-overhaul-data-disclosure-mess-/0,130061733,339282008,00.htm ALRC proposes overhaul of Australia's 'complex and costly' privacy laws [news release] "The clearest message from the community is that we must streamline our unnecessarily complex system. The federal Privacy Act sets out different principles for private organisations and for government agencies. On top of that, each state and territory has its own privacy laws or guidelines and some also have separate laws on health privacy. The ALRC is proposing there be a single set of privacy principles for information-handling across all sectors, and all levels of government. This will make it easier and less expensive for organisations to comply, and much more simple for people to understand their rights." http://alrc.gov.au/media/2007/mr1207_privacy.html Google Street Pics May Violate Canadian Privacy Law Canada's privacy commissioner has sent a letter to Google asking questions about its new Street View application, which captures street-level images -- including images of clearly identifiable privacy advocates. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/09/do-google-stree.html http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201806012 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/13/1189276858785.html Canadian Privacy Commissioner Seeks Information about Street Level Photography Available Online [news release] While satellite and aerial photo images have been available for many years, it is only recently that technology has allowed for this imagery to be shared freely over the internet. Today, these images are available from a number of government organizations and private corporations. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/an_070911_e.asp Canadian Privacy Commissioner welcomes International Privacy Awareness Week [news release] Privacy is Your Business is the theme of International Privacy Awareness Week, which runs from August 26 to September 1, 2007. A recent survey by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner revealed that a majority of Canadian businesses (55 per cent) believe their customers are more concerned about privacy related issues today than in the past. In fact, many businesses (86 per cent) recognize that taking privacy seriously is just good business. http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/an_070828_e.asp ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Internet use in the Middle East sees huge boom Internet users in the Middle East increased by 479.3 per cent over the past six years, and, by the end of 2006 there were 19 million internet users representing 1.8 per cent of the one billion users worldwide, according to a report titled Internet World Statistics. http://gulfnews.com/business/Internet/10153321.html Ghana?s internet growth slowed by high cost Most Ghanaians do not have access to the internet, in spite of the proliferation of ICT in the country, due to cost. Many more Ghanaians have access to mobile telephony than they have access to the internet. A cursory glance at Ghana?s ICT policy document shows an optimistic and encouraging picture of the future of the industry, but cost still remains a hindering factor. While the government of Ghana through this document has factored ICT into national development and is doing what it can to accelerate growth in that sector, not many Ghanaians have access to ICT, particularly the internet. http://myjoyonline.com/features/200709/8441.asp Wikipedia publishes 2 millionth article in English [Reuters] Wikipedia published its 2 millionth article in the English language version of the anyone-can-edit encyclopedia, a symbolic milestone for the world's largest user-generated internet publishing site. Wikipedia, the sixth most visited network of internet sites worldwide behind commercial operators Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Time Warner and eBay, is available in 250 languages. Combined, Wikipedia has published more than eight million articles. On September 10, an article on "El Hormiguero," a popular Spanish TV show, was created by Wikipedia contributor Zzxc to become the 2 millionth article in the English Wikipedia. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/13/2031668.htm http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1345360 http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN1234286820070912 Firefox hits 400 million downloads Firefox hit another milestone last week when it passed the 400 million download mark. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39289183,00.htm http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/12/firefox_milestone/ The Graying of the Web Older people are sticky. That is the latest view from Silicon Valley. Technology investors and entrepreneurs, long obsessed with connecting to teenagers and 20-somethings, are starting a host of new social networking sites aimed at baby boomers and graying computer users. The sites have names like Eons, Rezoom, Multiply, Maya?s Mom, Boomj, and Boomertown. They look like Facebook ? with wrinkles. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/12/technology/12social.html Whiting Out the Ads, but at What Cost? ... The larger importance of Adblock is its potential for extreme menace to the online-advertising business model. After an installation that takes but a minute or two, Adblock usually makes all commercial communication disappear. No flashing whack-a-mole banners. No Google ads based on the search terms you have entered. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/03/technology/03link.html Firefox-Google marriage on shaky ground? ... Last week, The New York York Times questioned whether the growing popularity of a Firefox extension called AdBlock Plus poses a threat to the ad-driven business models of entertainment, media, and search sites across the web. If enough people install the extension and other ad-killing browser gizmos, The Times asked, could they chip away at the bottom line of companies like CNN, Microsoft, and Google? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/12/firefox_google_marriage_threatened_by_adblock_plus/ ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** uk: Facebook 'costs businesses dear' Workers who spend time on sites such as Facebook could be costing firms over ?130m a day, a study has calculated. According to employment law firm Peninsula, 233 million hours are lost every month as a result of employees "wasting time" on social networking. The study - based on a survey of 3,500 UK companies - concluded that businesses need to take firm action on the use of social networks at work. Some firms have already banned employees from accessing Facebook. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6989100.stm Facebook shrugs off privacy fears with plan for targeted advertising Facebook plans to escalate its use of personal data to target advertisements to individual users, despite mounting privacy concerns surrounding social networking sites. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2426470.ece Warning: you can't make real friends online Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace do not help you make more genuine close friends, according to a survey by researchers who studied how the websites are changing the nature of friendship networks. Although social networking on the internet helps people to collect hundreds or even thousands of acquaintances, the researchers believe that face to face contact is nearly always necessary to form truly close friendships. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/sep/11/facebook.myspace http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/11/2029341.htm http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1064365820070910 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Wi-fi a hacker's playground: experts Computer security experts warn the growing popularity of wi-fi Internet connections is providing more opportunities for hackers. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/12/2030396.htm Mobile system promises free calls A new way of making calls directly between phones, for free, is being trialled by a Swedish company. It is hoping to dramatically improve communications in the developing world. Swedish company TerraNet has developed the idea using peer-to-peer technology that enables users to speak on its handsets without the need for a mobile phone base station. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6987784.stm Mobile phone studies find no short-term health problems Mobile phones do not pose health problems to adults in the short term, according to the results of a major six-year research programme published today. However the research also points to a "slight hint" of a cancer risk for long-term users. Experts warned they were unable, at this stage, to rule out the risks of brain or ear cancers for people who have used mobiles for more than 10 years. They said that further investigation of this result would be a priority for the next phase of their work, which would also study the effects of mobile phones on children's health. http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,2167606,00.html http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2442009.ece http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22410583-15306,00.html ********************** SPAM ********************** Marketers over-reacting to new NZ spam law Lawyers and other legal advisers are causing needless concern among marketers that they could be prosecuted if they fail to get explicit consent for promotional email, says Keith Norris, head of the New Zealand Marketing Association. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/92B7E01B8B5BF4C7CC25734F000DFEEC us: Anti-Spam Law Challenged [AP] Virginia's law banning the massive distribution of junk e-mail is an unconstitutional barrier to free speech, a lawyer for a former spammer told the state's highest court Wednesday. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/13/1189276843030.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/09/13/1189276843030.html ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** Africa: Mobiles for the 'world's poorest' Nearly half a million people, described by the UN as "the poorest of the poor", will soon be able to make mobile calls. As part of a UN programme to tackle poverty in rural Africa, 79 villages across 10 African countries will be hooked up to cellular networks. It is hoped that the connections will help improve healthcare and education, as well as boosting the local economy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6986804.stm Nokia Confident of Growth in African Continent's Telephony Sale of mobile phones in Africa and Middle East is set to more than double in the next three years, a handsets maker has said. The rise is expected to be bolstered by expansion of local and regional economies and more service providers rolling out networks across the region. http://allafrica.com/stories/200709110299.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Belgian ISP claims court ruling will force it into 'illegal' behaviour A Belgian court ruling would force internet service providers into conducting "invisible and illegal" checks on internet users' actions, according to the managing director of Belgian ISP Scarlet. Scarlet was recently ordered by a Belgian court to block its users from engaging in illegal file-sharing. It has now lodged an appeal against that ruling. http://out-law.com/page-8462 au: Death by digital for CD single The increasingly ubiquitous MP3 digital music player is driving the compact disc single towards extinction. New figures reveal sales of CD singles almost halved to 1.3 million in the six months to June 30 as more Australians chose to get their music directly from the internet. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22397414-5013404,00.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* The real reason for Google's news-wire deal Publishers: Be careful what you wish for. Journalistic organisations and news agencies have complained that Google has benefited from their headlines (while I argue it is they who have benefited from Google's links). So the Press Association, the Associated Press, Canadian Press, and Agence France-Presse just forced the search engine to license their content. Now, rather than linking to the wire services' clients for their articles, Google News is displaying the agency reports in full on its site. http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2165618,00.html Giant leap for the search unknown - how close are the world's web-trawlers are to a "Google-killer" breakthrough You fancy Thai - but aren't in your neighbourhood. So you get out your mobile and speak your request into the always-on search engine, which responds with the name of a restaurant your friends raved about last week, displays directions and a review, and also confirms that your preferred vegetarian options are available. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/10/1189276633425.html ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Pacific islands get digital boost with new links Two parallel initiatives are set to improve digital connectivity between the Pacific Islands before the end of next year. The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) have secured funding for a pan-Pacific, satellite-based Rural Internet Connectivity System (RICS). Jimmie Rogers, the director general of the SPC, announced the new initiative at last month?s PacINET 2007 conference, held in Honiara. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/30351797750D6086CC25734F000D9580 Fun, sun and a $3,000 bill for hardly using an iPhone When Neil Dingman recently went on a European vacation, he took his iPhone with him with no intention of using it much. In fact, for the 14 days he was there, he used it only a handful of times and had expected to see just a small increase in his next bill for roaming charges. Instead, he was charged $852.31. http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6207033.html au: AU$1bn WiMax deal 'will see Australians left behind' [AAP] A federal broadband deal for regional Australia will be a lasting disadvantage for Australians outside major cities, NSW Rural Affairs Minister Tony Kelly says. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/AU-1bn-WiMax-deal-will-see-Australians-left-behind-/0,130061791,339281939,00.htm au: Labor's $2bn fibre fund blocked by Howard govt The Coalition has thrown a major spanner in the works of Labor's broadband strategy by locking down the AU$2 billion fund that Labour was going to use to finance its fibre-to-the-node network. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Labor-s-2bn-fibre-fund-blocked-by-Howard-govt-/0,130061791,339282020,00.htm http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1193613160;fp;2;fpid;1 ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Be aware of wireless data security Droning on about the importance of data security may seem dull, but businesses that don't address the risks posed by wireless technologies and devices will find things soon get exciting. It only takes one lost or stolen device, one intercepted business conversation, or one major network failure to kick-start a drama. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10462984 ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** Aussie helps jail internet porn fiend AN American man whose online images of him sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy were reported to police by an internet user in Australia has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22410528-38198,00.html http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,22410546-948,00.html http://iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/12/america/NA-GEN-US-Child-Pornography.php +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.htmlReceived on Mon Sep 17 2007 - 04:44:30 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:09 UTC